The vehicle running control apparatus and the vehicle running control method for carrying out this type of acceleration/deceleration running pattern is conventionally known, and in the vehicle running control apparatus and the vehicle running control method, fuel consumption is improved by allowing the vehicle to run with the acceleration/deceleration running pattern. For example, the vehicle running control apparatus is disclosed in following patent documents 1 and 2. First, the patent document 1 discloses the technique to observe inter-vehicular distance from the vehicle in front, and allow the vehicle to perform the inertia running when the inter-vehicular distance is shorter than a minimum inter-vehicular distance corresponding to a vehicle speed and allow the vehicle to perform the acceleration running when the inter-vehicular distance is longer than a maximum inter-vehicular distance corresponding to the vehicle speed. In addition, the Patent Document 2 discloses the technique to perform the acceleration running by the drive force of the internal-combustion engine until reaching the upper limit speed, stop the internal-combustion engine after reaching the upper limit vehicle speed, thereby performing the inertia running until reaching the lower limit vehicle speed, and restart the internal-combustion engine after reaching the lower limit vehicle speed, thereby performing the acceleration running by the drive force of the internal-combustion engine.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-291919
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-187090